


He's Not Superman

by Ima_Paris_Sight



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Brotherly Love, Bullies, Domestic Violence, Friendship Pact, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-20
Updated: 2018-07-20
Packaged: 2019-06-13 09:45:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15361740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ima_Paris_Sight/pseuds/Ima_Paris_Sight
Summary: Phil is Dan's superhero, but where is Phil's superhero when he needs one?





	He's Not Superman

Dan is four-years-old. He has a little curly brown mop on his head and pastel colors on his clothes. He is playing in the sandbox with his pregnant mother watching him from a distance on the bench. She has moved away momentarily to get better cell reception when two tall fourth graders walk over threateningly. Dan cowers a little but smiles anyway and holds up a bucket.

 

"Wanna build castles?"

 

One of the fourth graders kicks the bucket out of Dan's hands, causing the younger boy to whimper. The other fourth grader smirks and pushes Dan to his back.

 

"Gonna cry, Baby?"

 

"Gonna cry to Mommy?"

 

"No, he's not. But I'll make you cry to yours."

 

A third voice comes up behind them. The older boys move over so all three can see the skinny boy coming over. He has very pale skin and pitch-black hair. It looks as though it's been straightened. He is wearing darker shades of colors, but still in blues and greens. He is frowning up at the boys who are at least a foot taller than him.

 

"What're you gonna do about it, Pukester?"

 

"Leave him alone."

 

"We're older 'an you by two years. Why'd we do what you say?"

 

"Just leave him alone, Tony."

 

"Ooh, leave him alone, Tony." The other boy chortles.

 

The one who isn't Tony swivels around and kicks sand in Dan's face. The young boy looks to be on the verge of tears. Swiftly, Phil's fist connects with the side of the older boy's face and he falls. Not from Phil's strength, but just from the sheer shock. Tony gapes a bit but instead of running away, he charges toward the pale boy. He simply edges out of the way and trips Tony before making his way over to the brunette.

 

"Are you okay?"

 

Dan mumbles affirmative and sniffles, trying to dry away the sand.

 

"Lemme take you to the fountain an' we can wash away the sand. Okay?"

 

"Okay."

 

"Do you got a name?" The pale boy asks, taking Dan's hand to lead him to the fountain.

 

"Dan."

 

"I like that name. I'm Phil."

 

"How come you helped? You're a big kid too."

 

Phil smiles. "Not all big kids are bad, Dan. Plus, they're ten and I'm only eight."

 

"I'm four."

 

"Well, eight and four. Not much difference there. What do you say we make a pact?" Phil asks, gently scrubbing away the dirt with water from the fountain.

 

"Pact?"

 

"Yeah. Means we agree to always be bestest of friends, no matter what."

 

"Okay."

 

"C'mon. There's a part of the park that's drying cement. We can write our names there and that'll be our pact."

 

"Okay."

 

The boys add their handprints and sloppily written names to what will be the concrete for a new play area. Soon after, Dan hears his mum calling and the boys promise to stay in touch. Phil takes the long way home, but eventually, he comes across the broken gate. He timidly walks up the pathway and arrives too soon at the front door. Just as he is standing there, gathering his strength, the door swings open. An aggressive hand thrusts down and snaps up, lifting Phil from the ground by a fistful of his shirt.

 

The door slams shut and Phil does his best to retain a stoic face. He holds his breath as he is released into what the family has dubbed 'The Box of Shame'. He tries hard to think of what he's done to make his father mad this time, but he has a short attention span, so he knows it could be any number of things he's already forgotten. The door to the room smacks the wall, knocking off one of the framed certificates, and slams shut just as hard.

 

"Why the hell did you go out today?"

 

Phil involuntarily flinches, hurriedly racking his rain and crying when he is rushed to think. He doesn't remember his first purpose of going out. He knows it wasn't to go to the park. He had just followed a squirrel there. Where had the squirrel been? The flower shop. But he wasn't supposed to be there, either. He went to the flowers when he discovered the smell was coming from there, not the baked goods stand.

 

He had gone to the baked goods stand because he smelled something nice when he was at the arcade. He hadn't gone out to the arcade. He went there when he was chasing his loose change that had rolled out the door. Phil's head snaps back. He gingerly reaches into his back pocket and retrieves a pack of smokes, with one end lightly smooshed. He has been sent out to buy a pack of cigarettes for his dad.

 

"You can still light 'em." Phil adds, cowering from his father's glare.

 

His dad snatches them and hurriedly lights one. He takes a long draw and puffs the smoke in his young son's face. Phil grimaces but deftly holds in an aching cough. He still doesn't move and closes his eyes, awaiting the punishment for wandering away again. Sure enough, his dad smacks him hard across the face, with his rings still on his hand. He takes his lit cig and burns a hole in his son's arm, just above the inside of his elbow.

 

Phil bites down on his tongue so hard, he draws blood. His dad throws him out of the box, letting him land on the hardwood floor on his tailbone. His head smacks against the surface as well and Phil is terrified that he might have cried out. When his dad doesn't turn around, he takes the shot and scrambles out of the room. Just down the hall, another hand grabs him and picks him up. He knows it is his fourteen-year-old brother and Phil clutches to Martyn's shoulders.

 

The boys run outside, to their secret clubhouse, and Phil lets all his tears fly. He bawls about everything while Martyn tends to his wounds. Phil explains how he'd gotten distracted again and all Martyn wants to know is if he's going to keep his promise to Dan. He doesn't mind that his baby brother got sidetracked or that he hit a bully. He is impressed that he's got a new friend and protected said friend.

 

"We'll be friends forever." Phil answers quietly. "So long as we don't tell Daddy."

 

Martyn sighs audibly with a nod. When he was about Phil's age, he had a close friend and made the terrible mistake of introducing him to the family. His mom had been busy getting ten-month-old Phil to sleep, but their dad had slapped Martyn so hard a tooth had come out. His friend had been scared of his dad and terrified when the man had threatened to slit the boy's throat if he'd ever come by the house again.

 

The boy, Trevor, is now Martyn's enemy and the two fight a lot at school. Phil doesn't want that to happen with Dan, so the boys agree to keep it a secret. They yell it into a bottle and toss it into their super secret secrets vault. Soon, Phil is all patched up – even his knuckles from where he punched the bully. He and his brother hook up a video game system and start playing Mario.


End file.
